Human Development Report 2009

Malaysia stands at number 66 (out of 182) in the United Nation's latest Human Development Index (HDI) released yesterday. The HDI is a regular feature of the UN Human Development Report which is published annually. The HDI is a composit index covering education, health and income aspects of well being in a country. It is a measurement of a country's ability to offer its people opportunities to improve their lives based on economic opportunities, and access to healthcare and education. To determine a country's HDI, the study takes into consideration its per capita GDP, illiteracy, school enrollment rates and life expectancy indicator. The 2009 HDR explores how better policies towards human mobility can enhance human developement, hence the theme for 2009 is Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development.

It is interesting to note Malaysia's position which obtained an HDI value of 0.829 , made it to the High Human Development Bracket. Regionally, Singapore is leading at 23rd position, followed by Brunei (30), Malaysia (66) and Thailand (87). Trailing way behind are Philippines (105), Indonesia (111), Vietnam (116), Laos (133), Cambodia (137) and Myanmar (138). Reading the report expand the understanding of the effect of immigrant workers (legal and illegal) in Malaysia, and the cost and benefit to both home country and the migrants' countries of origin. While there is broad consensus about the value of skilled migration to destination countries, low skilled migrant workers generate much controversies, in Malaysia as a case. Other concerns include heightened risk of crime, added burdens on local services and the fear of losing social and cultural cohesion. Eventhough these concerns are often exaggerated, but superior-inferior perception between the two parties are often manipulated by politicians and media.

Moving forward, the report lays out a core package of reforms. Eventhough it sounded very idealistic - thats what reports are for :-) - they are all have important and complimentary contributions to make to human development. For origin countries, more systematic consideration of the profile of migration and its benefits, costs and risks would provide a better basis for integrating movement into national development strategies. For destination countries, the how and when of reforms will depends on a realistic look at economic and social conditions, taking into account public opinion and politcal constraints.